so john boehner trying to simplify things. he's asking top democrats and republica republicans to step aside so he can negotiate with the president one-on-one. it seems to be a request that everyone was able to live with. brianna keilar is live for us at the white house. if this is the case that everybody has been cleared out of the room, does that surprise you? it seems to make sense to me. >> reporter: it's not surprising at all. this is what observers of this process thought would happen all along. ultimately this was a process that would come down to president obama and house speaker john boehner brokering a deal. very much the way you saw they attempted to do during the debt ceiling debacle last year. it simplifies the problem of less cooks in the kitchen. then they will have to sell it. president obama would have to bring in democrats. john boehner would have to bring in his republicans and make sure everyone is on board. this comes on the heels of what has really been radio silence between the white house and house repu